Curry hurts ankle in Warriors’ rout
The Knicks are such a great organization. That’s what you want us to write, Phil. The team is on the upswing. That will help you land free agents. Sounds a bit disingenuous and insulting to the reader, but let’s give it a whirl.
Phil Jackson won 11 rings using the triangle. If you want to know about his genius, just ask him. He wrote a book about it. Multiple books, actually, in which he rips his former players. But seeing their name muddied in print by Phil Jackson isn’t the reason free agents are wary of New York. It’s the mean media. So let’s move on. Back to those 11 rings that make Phil Jackson and his system above criticism.
He has more than anybody as a coach. None as an executive, but hey, semantics. Sure, OAKLAND — Stephen Curry dazzled from long range and drove to the hoop with flair and fire until a tweaked ankle finally slowed him down.
Once he sat for good after three firm requests to coach Steve Kerr about returning, his supporting cast handled the rest. “Like a kid in timeout over there on the bench,” Curry said of his mood.
He still did plenty, scoring 24 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 104-78 on Saturday in their playoff opener. The reigning MVP’s status for the next game is uncertain. “Right now I don’t see a scenario I would be out,” Curry said, noting that could change if it gets worse or there’s risk of further trouble. “Pain tolerance, all that stuff, I kind of know what I can deal with on the court.”
Draymond Green added 12 points and 10 rebounds as top-seeded Golden State carried momentum from setting the all-time wins record Wednesday night with No. 73 into a testy playoff opener some 60 hours later. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night at Oracle Arena, and Kerr said Curry is questionable for that one. He will be re-evaluated Sunday. “You lose the MVP of the NBA it definitely changes your team,” Green said. “There’s some concern.”
The Warriors topped the Michael Jordanled Bulls of 1995-96, then immediately made one thing clear: That mark will mean nothing if they don’t bring home back-to-back titles to the East Bay.
James Harden scored 17 points and didn’t have a free throw attempt for cold-shooting Houston in the first quarter of the rematch from last year’s Western Conference finals, won by Golden State in five.
Curry didn’t slow down until hurting his right ankle just before halftime, but he got it re-taped and briefly returned before heading back to the locker room with 8:31 to go in the third to have it taped once more and not returning to the game.
HAWKS 102, CELTICS 101: Jeff Teague stymied another big Boston comeback, taking matters into his own hands in the closing minutes to lead host Atlanta in Game 1 of the opening-round playoff series. Teague scored 23 points and doled out 12 assists, making sure Atlanta maintained the home-court edge after the gritty Celtics rallied from a 19-point deficit. With the game tied at 88, Teague worked the pick-and-roll to set up a layup for Al Horford. The Celtics missed and the Hawks again got the ball to Teague, who found Paul Millsap alone under the basket for a dunk that pushed Atlanta to a 92-88 lead with 2:56 remaining.
PACERS 100, RAPTORS 90: Paul George scored 33 points, Monta Ellis had 15 and the visiting Indiana Pacers took Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. For the Raptors, Kyle Lowry made 3 of 13 field-goal attempts while DeMar DeRozan made 5 of 19. The pair went 1 for 10 from 3-point range and 8 for 15 at the free-throw line. DeRozan finished with 14 points and Lowry had 11.
THUNDER 108, MAVS 70: Russell Westbrook had 24 points and 11 assists, and Kevin Durant added 23 points to help host Oklahoma City Thunder roll in Game 1. It was Oklahoma City’s largest victory margin in a playoff game since moving from Seattle before the 2008-09 season, and the lowest point total the franchise has allowed in a postseason game, in Seattle or Oklahoma City. Dallas scored its fewest points ever in a playoff game, and its .298 field-goal percentage was the worst ever in a postseason game for a franchise that has existed since 1980. —AP